


Black Star

by masteremeraldholder



Series: A Sun and other Celestial Bodies [1]
Category: Assault Android Cactus (Video Game)
Genre: ADHD, Cactus has ADHD, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship, Getting Together, Humor, Mental Health Issues, Swearing, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-07 15:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18413369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masteremeraldholder/pseuds/masteremeraldholder
Summary: “What’s up with the star?”“What?”Cactus pointed to the black star on her frame. “That.”Coral made a face, like, ‘What a stupid question.’ But Cactus didn’t think so. Not at all.“It doesn’t mean a damn thing,” She said. “So could you please get outta my face? Thanks.”That had to be where it all started.





	Black Star

**Author's Note:**

> i know sycle says androids can’t experience relationships, but i don’t really care tbh...
> 
> [art](http://purplecrystalgem.tumblr.com/post/184140892466/little-androids-in-love) by purplecrystalgem!!
> 
> cactus' team's names are as follows: 
> 
> chief: tamara  
> pilots: anderson and samantha  
> armor user: matt

Despite having gotten out of the dreaded mission failed report, Cactus is still stuck doing paperwork. Turns out, freeing a ship of rogue robots and twisted section lords didn’t give her a free pass from menial work. Bleh.

“Great…”

She frowns down at her desk. Disorganized and full of unfinished reports. Just how she left it. No way was she going to finish them either. Cactus swipes a hand across the mountains of papers to free up some space and sits down. She’s got a whole nother form to fill out. Luckily, mission complete reports were a lot less annoying.

After finding a pen amidst the clutter, Junior Constable Cactus is ready to go to work. The first line of the report. 

_ Give a brief description of the incident. _

How utterly dreadful.

_ This _ is why she never finishes her reports. The forms are piss-freaking-poor.

_ “Ugh,” _ Cactus shoves the paper away, swivels around in her chair. Her eyes fall closed. She begins to wonder.

What would be the fate of the _ Genki Star? _

Crap, she shouldn’t be worrying about this, especially after having been chewed out by the Chief. But she can’t help it.

The eight of them were a team. She couldn’t just forget about them that easily. (Where would they go? Would they separate?)

They didn’t even want to evacuate the ship, but without the Core… what could they do?  _ She _ was the ship and without her there was no way they could stay there.

Cactus wonders where they are now. Probably on board another ship in transit to… well, she doesn’t even know.

And she doesn’t want to think about it.

“Hey.”

Cactus blinks. Glances to the doorway of her cubicle. It’s Sam, one of the pilots. She appears pissed off, but that’s just how she normally looks. How long had she been standing there?

“The Chief needs you again,” She says.

Oh Cosmos, what for?

“This is just a thought, but m’guessin’ it’s got somethin’ to do with those reports,” Sam nods to Cactus’ messy ass desk.

“Damn it.”

Sam snorts, pops her gum, “Good luck,” and she walks off.

Two visits to the Chief’s office in one day. Boy, is Cactus glad to be back.

…

_ “What’s up with the star?” _

_ “What?” _

_ Cactus pointed to the black star on her frame. “That.” _

_ Coral made a face, like, ‘What a stupid question.’ But Cactus didn’t think so. Not at all. _

_ “It doesn’t mean a damn thing,” She said. “So could you please get outta my face? Thanks.” _

_ That had to be where it all started. _

…

“You’ve seemed out of it lately,” Matt nudges her shoulder. “Everything okay?”

It’s been a couple days since the incident. Cactus hasn’t really been able to get it off her mind. Not that she’s told anyone this. Her worry has manifested in restlessness and unusual muteness. Anyone who knew Cactus could see that she wasn’t herself. 

So, no. Everything was  _ not _ okay.

But she says, “Yeah,” and stares out the window into the vacuum of space, wishing to avoid this conversation. Not here. Not now. “M’fine.”

Matt says nothing. The cabin of the cruiser goes quiet. Anderson is piloting which means it’s extra quiet.

Cactus hopes they can quickly get this job over with. The sooner she can get away from them and back to the solitude of her cubicle, the better.

They pass through an asteroid field. The call they’re responding to came from somewhere near Phobos. Given the location, Cactus can’t help but think of the state of the  _ Genki Star.  _ (And its inhabitants.) She sighs longingly.

And that’s when Anderson decides to speak up. “You  _ have _ been different since the  _ Genki Star _ incident,” Silence. Did he really expect her to respond to that? The guy was an ass sometimes, but geez. “What exactly did you see while you were there? How do we know you haven’t been  _ turned _ either?”

“Leave her alone, okay?” Says Matt.

Anderson scoffs, but says nothing else. Neither does Cactus. But she is grateful for it. For  _ Matt. _

…

_ “Hey, d’you think you could kick that robot’s ass without your gun?” _

_ “Are you mental?” Coral said, rolled her eyes. They were indigo. _

_ “But you’re a martial arts expert, right?” Cactus told her. “I bet you could take ‘em all!” _

_ “Yeah, that may be the case, but m’not stupid… unlike you.” _

_ Harsh. _

_ “Well,” Cactus threw her rifle over her shoulder. “I’d like to see it some time. Your martial arts.” _

_ Coral hummed. Gave a slight smile. _

_ That was enough. _

…

Humans weren’t as smart as they liked to claim they were. Cactus knew that, all androids had had the feeling at least once. Humans believed they knew what was best when they most certainly didn’t.

She supposed that was why Chief Tamara had the hardest time understanding her choice.

“But why?” Says the Chief. “Why do you  _ want _ to go in search of the fugitive androids? What could you possibly gain from capturing them?”

Cactus doesn’t know. Of course, it infuriates her that they got away— not so much Starch, mainly Liquorice— but she wishes them no ill will. Besides, she’s got ulterior motives.

She’s going to find Coral and the others.

Yes, it’s selfish and quite possibly _ impossible, _ but she’s made up her mind and she isn’t going to change it because of a little roadblock.

“The crew says you’re distracted and unsettled. So tell me what’s the matter? Perhaps I can be of assistance.”

“Nothing would bring me greater joy than finding those fugitives, Chief.”

Tamara stares at her through squinted eyes. Cactus wonders if she can see through her. Oh Cosmos, she hopes not.

“I am very certain that is not the case, Cactus,” She has her gloved hands folded together. Business mode. “But I am willing to give you a short period of amnesty if that is what is bothering you. Take a cruiser. Track ‘em down. But you will report back no later than two days from now. Am I clear?”

Cactus is awestruck.

“Y-yes, ma’am!” She salutes.

The corner of the Chief’s thin lips turn up ever so slightly. “Oh, and do try not to do anything that’ll get you decommissioned.”

“Not makin’ any promises, cap.”

…

_ “Is there a reason why you can’t stop talkin’?” _

_ Cactus smirked. Gave a shrug. Coral found that funny for some reason. Laughed into her fist as she shook her head. Cactus couldn’t stop staring at her. How her nose wrinkled when she smiled, accented the ring there. Cosmos, she had a nose ring.  _

_ “No, really. You talk a lot. And… you fidget too.” _

_ Oh. She was serious. _

_ Cactus tapped her foot, chewed her lip. Why couldn’t she stay still? _

_ She glanced at Coral, then quickly back down to the ground, “Uh… I dunno… I mean, I can’t really get a diagnosis for it, can I?” _

_ How wrong was she. _

_ Coral called Lemon over. She was a medic after all. Cactus wanted to disappear. _

_ “Hey, I’ve gotta question. What symptoms would someone who’s… hyperactive display?” _

_ “Oh, a medical question!” Lemon clapped her hands. “Lemme see. Inability to focus. Restlessness. Absent-mindedness. Those are just a few. In humans, hyperactivity is typically related to the disorder, ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Of course, it wouldn’t manifest in androids!” _

_ Coral didn’t seem affected at all by that load. She nodded to her friend, “Alright. Thanks,” And after Lemon left, she was even the first to speak. “Did that… help?” _

_ Cactus shrugged again. “Not sure what I could do. Who even cares that much to know that?” _

_ “I do.” _

_ Cactus stared at her. She couldn’t do much else. _

_ “It’s okay, y’know,” Coral said. “I mean, yeah, it’s annoying as hell, but you can’t change it. It’s who you are, and no one should have to change that.” _

_ Cactus stared some more. Who was this and what had she done with Coral? _

_ “Stop standing there like an idiot. We’ve got one more section lord to question.” _

_ Gosh, she was in deep. _

…

Matt’s voice crackles through the cockpit of the cruiser. “You okay there, Cactus?”

“Peachy. Just ran into a little trouble, s’all.”

And by that, she meant finding one of the two escapees.

Of course, she hadn’t actually expected to find Starch and Liquorice. It was only an excuse to get permission to leave from the Chief. And what was even the probability that it would happen? There was a whole solar system to search!

Cactus learned from a news report— because the destruction of a Core on a multi-billion dollar vessel definitely warranted mentioning on the galactic news— that the  _ Genki Star _ was hauled back to Earth for repairs, so Cactus took that as the best place to start.

She hadn’t been to the surface of the planet much, despite being built on Luna, so she didn’t even know where they’d be. She needed insight. A clue. Something.

So, she made a pitstop on Luna, hopefully to get a clue. But as Cactus returned to her cruiser  _ informationless, _ she realized how fruitless her search was turning out to be.

No one knew anything. (Or they wouldn't tell an android even though she was an officer.) How tedious.

Cactus finally got back into the cruiser, highly peeved when—

“Queen Midas has returned!”

Holy Hell!

Cactus looked to her right.  _ Starch. _

Starch was in the passenger seat of her cruiser.  _ Starch was in the passenger seat of her cruiser. _

“Starch!” Cactus screeched. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, don’t take it out on me, Queenie! S’not my fault everything you touch turns to gold.”

“Geez,” Cactus rubbed her temples. Good grief. She’d need an Advil after this was done. “Where’s Liquorice?” Because they had escaped at the same time, so that must have meant they left together, right?

“The grumpy princess?” Starch waved her hand dismissively. “She flew too close to the sun.”

Cactus didn’t even want to know what that meant.

“But, forget about her!  _ We,” _ She gestured between herself and Cactus. “Were destined to meet again! In all universes too.”

“Right…” Cactus starts to write this off as typical Starch gibbering, but she thinks, and it sounds like, like— “Wait, wait, wait? Can you… see into the future?”

“Certainly, Queenie! I’m the jack of all trades!”

“Then— then you can help me! I’m looking for the others!”

Starch gave her a puzzled look. Oh.

“Y’know… Holly, Lemon… Coral?”

“Oh! Moe, Larry, and Curly?”

Cactus blinked. “Uh, yeah.”

“I can look ahead if you want,” Starch grinned devilishly. “But it’s gonna cost ya.”

Cactus was so desperate at this point that she agreed to any horror Starch would likely put her through. “Okay,” Cactus nodded fervently. “Whatever, just tell me where they are.”

“Okie dokie, let me see…” Her eyes got this glazed over look. Like she had been deactivated… It was hella creepy. “I see… Moe beside something big… A ship? And there’s… birds? And a doggie! How cute!”

“Focus, Starch.”

“Okay! I see a sign… Port of…” Her eyes came back to normal. “NYC?”

NYC! That was… on the North American landmass, right? Yes! She’d found Holly! (And hopefully the others too…) 

“You found her! Great! Thanks a lot!”

“Hold on there, buck-a-roo?” Starch wagged her finger. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

Oh. The deal. Damn.

“Fine,” Cactus hoped that it wasn’t anything crazy. _ Please.  _ “What do you need?”

“A ride, if ya don’t mind” She’d taken on a country accent now. “My horsie broke down about a mile back yonder.”

Cactus sighed.

Now back talking to Matt, Cactus realizes just how useful Starch was. She just hoped Starch wouldn’t go nuts and destroy a ship again.

“The Chief’s counting the seconds ‘til you get back,” Matt says. “You better hurry.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back on time, ‘kay? I’ve got this.”

“Alright.”

If only Cactus believed it herself.

…

_ She hadn’t expected her to be this amiable even after what she had just done. Destroyed a Core. Medulla was gone. And half of the androids were pissed as hell at her. _

_ But Coral just stared at her. There were faint freckles spread across her nose. Wow. _

_ She said, “You should change your name to ‘Oh Shit’. That way whenever you walk into a room everyone says ‘Oh Shit’.” _

_ Cactus jerked a thumb to her right. “D’you think that’d make Aubergine feel better? Just picture it— ‘Oh Shit, you destroyed our core! You idiot!” _

_ Coral burst out laughing. She had the cutest gap in her teeth. Gosh. Cactus had to make herself look away to keep from making another stupid decision. Like kissing her. She paged her team for back-up. Matt and Sam were on the way. _

_ Coral studied her as she put her gadget away. “Y’know,” She said. “To be so reckless, you’re actually pretty thorough.” _

_ “And my recklessness suggested I wasn’t?” _

_ “Hell yeah!” _

_ “Well…” Cactus hooked her hand on her hip. “You’d be surprised with how many times I’ve fucked something up. It’s… appalling.” She couldn’t stop the thoughts that arose in her head. How careless she was. Loud. Unorganized. Rowdy. An accident waiting to happen. _

_ “You did what you had to do,” Coral told her. “No use in beatin’ yourself up over it.” _

_ “That doesn’t mean it was right.” _

_ “You’re hard to bargain with, y’know?” _

_ Cactus didn’t say anything. From how much she bounced around with employment, she had definitely figured that out. Her job with the Robot Malfunction Response team would only be a brief stint probably. Cosmos…  _

_ “Look,” Coral lightly punched her arm. “I can’t believe m’sayin’ this, but you made the best choice. I mean, there was no way the Core would work properly after what just happened. Plugging someone into her wasn’t goin’ to change a thing. It had to be done.” _

_ It had to be done. Cactus repeated this. “It had to be done.” _

_ “Yes. Now, will you quit lookin’ like someone just pissed in your cereal,” She threw her arm over Cactus’ shoulder. “We finally got to the bottom of everything. That’s somethin’ to celebrate.” _

_ “Fine,” Cactus said. And smiled. It was finally over. _

…

She expects to see the  _ Genki Star _ docked at the main repairs station. But it’s gone. Cactus can’t believe how clueless these humans are. None of the workers want to tell an android anything.

So as she’s trying to find a civilian who will tell her the truth, she a familiar voice.

“Cactus?”

She glances over her shoulder.

“Holly?”

Cactus breaks into a grin, and Holly does too, then they’re both standing there like two fools, grinning their faces off.

“What’re you doing here?” Holly asks, like Cactus isn’t a member of an organization that has sovereignty of the entire solar system. “How d’you know?”

Cactus takes her friend’s hand. “Just a feeling,” She says.

…

“So, how d’you get here?”

Holly shakes her head, her fluffy ponytails blowing in the gentle breeze. “They brought us here after the ship. But yesterday, they decided to take it to Jupiter for repairs. Who knows how long that’ll take…” 

Cactus pats her back. “Hey, s’gonna be fine, I mean… I’d rather the ship be broken than for  _ you _ to have your brain scrambled.”

“Me too,” Holly grins.

Cactus wasn’t really sure why she was following Holly, it was just  _ so _ good to see her. She honestly didn’t expect for Holly to lead her to the others.

“Cactus!” Lemon beams, pulls her in for a quick hug.

“You’re back,” Aubergine and Helo nod. That was about as affectionate as she would get.

“How nice it is to see you, Cactus-kun,” Says Shiitake. “I missed your presence!”

And Peanut cuffs her on the shoulder, “Welcome back, Core-killer.”

It’s nice to feel wanted.

But those greetings, while amazing, are nothing compared to the one she gets from the android she’s been wanting to see— hear— touch more than anything.

Coral turns, her eyes brighten, and she crosses her arms, gives a closed mouth smile, says a very simple, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Cactus says.

Lemon grins. “The gang’s all here.”

They really are.

…

“Why’re you still here?” Cactus is sitting in the lobby of the HQ for ship repairs on Earth. “I know you two are…” She trails off after pointing to Shiitake and Aubergine. They have to stay with the  _ Genki Star.  _ They’re owned. “But why— has no one really come to help?”

“We still haven’t had contact with the humans,” Aubergine informs her.

Peanut says, “We’ve been sittin’ ‘ere like lumps on a log.”

Cactus feels herself getting pissed. “That’s way fucked up. They practically abandoned you.”

Lemon smiles as she always does. “It isn’t so bad. At least they didn’t split us up.”

Everyone goes quiet after that. Just the thought makes them all shudder.

Holly breaks the silence with a whisper, “I know I complained back then, but I really miss my job.”

“I miss Vespula,” Lemon mumbles.

“Justice…” Aubergine pulls her cap off in respect. Even Helo seems reverent.

“It was mah dream job,” Peanut utters.

Shiitake nods. “The freezer was my playground.”

Cactus feels it all in her chest. They missed their  _ home. _

She turns to Coral who’s been oddly quiet. “What about you? What d’you miss?”

Her eyes are full of, of… _ something. _ Cactus can’t place it, until Coral says, “You.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

“Well, that’s unexpected,” Holly says.

Indeed.

…

“But you’re always mean to me.”

“Because I like you, dumbass.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“How obvious was I s’posed to be, Cactus?”

It’s very sad how she shivers at Coral saying her name.

“You know I don’t notice things…”

Coral smiles. And then she places a hand on Cactus’ shoulder, rests the other on her waist. “I do know. That’s what I like about you.”

It’s also very sad how she shivers at Coral touching her.

“Geez,” She mumbles, but puts a hand on Coral’s hip, and cups her brown cheek with the other anyway. “You’re tryin’ to make me short a circuit.” And she finally,  _ finally,  _ kisses Coral’s chapped lips, feeling every bit loopy and blessed as she did when she first met her.

It was definitely worth the wait.

…

“I lied earlier about the star,” Coral says as she’s walking Cactus back to her cruiser. “It’s from my dojo back on Ganymede. Instead of a black belt, you got a black star.”

“Really? Cool!”

“And,” Coral drawls. “You’re not upset with me for lying to you at all?”

“No,” Cactus shakes her head. “Why would I be upset?”

Coral snorts, “You’re so weird,” And presses a quick kiss to Cactus’ cheek.

Gosh.

“D’you miss it?” Cactus swings their intertwined hands in a small arc. “Your dojo?”

“Hm, a little. But I’ve had some great experience since leaving. Like you.”

“You’re so weird,” Cactus snickers, which starts Coral to snorting too. She’s got the cutest laugh ever.

No sooner than their giggle session has quieted, Coral squeezes Cactus’ hand tight in her grasp, says in a small voice, “M’gonna miss you.”

Cactus glances over at her. Her eyes are to the ground. She won’t make eye contact. What?

“Don’t forget about me, kay?” Coral continues. When you’re catchin’ criminals and kickin’ butt, remember me.  _ All of us.” _

She will miss her. She misses her now. And Cactus can’t take it anymore, the look on Coral’s face, this feeling of guilt and dread in her gut. It’s too much.

She yanks Coral in, throws her arms around Coral’s hips and rests her face in the wires of her neck. “Why would you even say that?” Her voice is soft. Like softer than a whisper.  _ How?  _ How could she think that?

Coral’s arms go around Cactus’ neck. She’s silent.

Cactus mumbles, “How could I forget about you? I  _ can’t. _ I won’t abandon you. Not now. Not ever,” She takes a shaky breath. “I destroyed your home.  _ Me.  _ And I’m not going to leave until it’s fixed. M’gonna talk with my boss about finding you guys some place to stay. I’m not going anywhere. I mean it,” She runs her hands through Coral’s wispy, blue hair. It’s like silk. “You’re gonna be so sick of me.”

Coral hums as Cactus pulls away. Her eyes are warm. Full. Cactus could drown in them.

“Promise?”

Cactus smiles. “I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> comment if you liked it :'')


End file.
